


Baby Lessons

by PeaceLilies



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, F/M, M/M, Weird Space Magic, allurance, baby!Shiro, paternal!Keith, there are a lot of F-bombs in one of the chapters, very light vague Sheith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:21:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27728034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeaceLilies/pseuds/PeaceLilies
Summary: On a recon mission, Shiro is de-aged, and Keith cares for him. Innocent shenanigans ensue while Sam Holt and Coran try to figure out a way to turn Shiro back!
Relationships: Allura/Lance (Voltron), Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 76





	1. Part 1

“It’ll be fine,” Shiro said, slipping into his flight suit, the tight material pulling across his skin, leaving nothing to the imagination. Keith leaned against the wall of the exit bay, arms crossed, watching Shiro, a small frown on his face, trying to ignore the way Shiro looked in the suit. 

“You know I trust you and Allura,” he said, “but I don’t like that the wormhole is unstable.” 

They’d been having this conversation for the past three days. There was an emergency beacon coming from a quadrant within the Fireworks Galaxy, suggesting another outpost planet that was struggling due to no longer being under Galra control. 

Shiro made sure that his suit had no openings, and picked up his helmet, placing it under his arm. 

“I know,” he replied, his expression understanding, but unyielding, “we wouldn’t go if we had other options. It’ll take too long to get there with all the lions and if we have the resources with one of Allura’s wormholes, we might as well give it a shot.” 

Keith tapped his finger against his arm, an anxious tick. He would be jiggling his leg if he’d been sitting. He was better at managing his anxiety and discomfort than he had been...but it was harder when it came to Shiro. Harder to hide how he felt...not to mention that it hadn’t been that long since he’d come back to them...to Keith, and the idea of Shiro going off into an unstable wormhole where Keith couldn’t follow certainly didn’t help. 

Shiro rested a comforting hand on his shoulder, giving him a squeeze, pulling him out of his catastrophizing thoughts. He looked up into his smiling face, gray eyes warm, full of understanding...almost tender. But not quite. 

“The wormhole would be even more unstable with more than two people. The smaller the vessel, the easier it’ll be to navigate. Allura knows what she’s doing and so do I.”

Keith nodded, standing up straight, arms at his side. 

“I know. I trust you. I just...hate that I won’t be there...that I won’t have your back.” 

Shiro nodded, his hand lifting from Keith’s shoulder, arm coming around him to pull him close. 

“You always have my back. I know that you’ll come for me if anything happens. But we’ll be alright. We’ll be back in three hours,” he hummed, giving Keith a squeeze. He wrapped his arms around him, squeezing back, burrowing his face against Shiro’s chest. 

“Besides...I owe you a date,” he chuckled, “I gotta be back in time for that.” 

Keith looked up at him, blushing a little. He was right...sort of. Shiro probably didn’t realize how that sounded. They’d talked about getting dinner at the end of the week and Shiro had said he’d wanted to take him out for pizza and to play some arcade games. Bro stuff. Nothing like what Keith actually wanted. Calling it a  _ date _ made him feel all  _ squirmy _ inside...but he knew that Shiro didn’t mean it that way. 

“I’m gonna hold you to that.”

“Please do.” 

They pulled apart, smiling softly at each other, before Shiro turned toward the door. 

“Come and see me off?” he asked as they left the bay together. 

“Of course.” 

Allura and the rest of the Paladins, as well as Coran and Sam Holt were there, prepping for Allura and Shiro’s departure. Pidge and Hunk were doing some diagnostic testing with Coran and Sam, and Lance was talking quietly with Allura. 

Allura noticed them first, smiling warmly and giving them a little wave. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun, away from her face, and she was dressed in her Paladin armor. 

“Ready, Shiro?” she asked, Lance turning where he stood and nodding his head in their direction. 

“As ever, Princess. I’m looking forward to an adventure,” he replied, smiling widely. Keith did feel better, seeing the confidence in which Shiro carried himself, seeing him smiling. 

There was still a lot of work that had to be done, not just in the universe, but on a personal level, too, amongst each of them. But things were a little easier now. The vestiges of stress were beginning to leak out of their shoulders, they were all laughing and smiling more, spending more time together to just have fun, rather than to run war simulations or train constantly. 

All hands were on deck for this, but it was still a relatively low-risk mission. It did help to know that everyone was here to support Allura and Shiro and Keith allowed himself to release the tension he was holding. He could still feel the pull to protect Shiro, but he knew that he was capable and in good hands. 

Everything would be okay.

“We’ll see you all in a few hours,” Allura said, placing her helmet on, Shiro following suit. They did a few checks with Coran before Shiro gave Keith a cheeky salute and a little wink, which had Keith flushing with warmth despite his best efforts. Then he and the Princess headed out into the hangar towards the Blue Lion. 

Everyone watched with rapt attention as the Blue Lion left the hangar and blasted off out of Earth's atmosphere into space. Lance bumped his shoulder against Keith's and Keith looked at him, somewhat annoyed at the suggestiveness of the gesture. 

"Feels weird not being there," Lance said and Keith nodded in agreement. 

"Real weird," he said, folding his arms across his chest, "they'll be okay though."

Lance nodded, watching the sky. 

"Yeah. They will."

Allura called in to Coran that they were ready for a wormhole and he helped guide them and provide the coordinates they'd need. All seemed well as Allura activated the Blue Lion's wormhole capabilities. 

She hadn't been sure it would work, as it had seemed to only be something the Blue Lion could call upon to return to the Castle of Lions. She believed it had been a one time use ability after the Lions had been scattered for safekeeping...and the Castle was now gone to top it off. But with her at the helm, it seemed that the ability could be activated. She'd tried it for short bursts to nearby locations within the Milky Way, but that was about it. 

It wasn't perfected, which was Keith's concern. He trusted Allura and her abilities. They had all started from zero at the start of all this and had learned quite a bit since then, but there was a large part of Keith that didn't like leaving things to chance. Calculated risk though it was. 

It didn't take very long, perhaps five or six minutes before Allura called in that they'd arrived safely, Shiro checking in as well. She noted that the wormhole seemed stable and everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. 

"This should be quick," Shiro said over the comm, "seems that the beacon is coming from an outpost, it's an asteroid. Sam, I'm going to send you the coordinates again and the information from the beacon. It looks like these might be some refugees. Could you pass that information on to Garrison brass? We shouldn't be more than three hours."

Sam answered in the affirmative and the Paladins divided up shifts to wait for word from Shiro and Allura, Coran and Sam starting out, Hunk and Pidge next, and then Keith and Lance to end. 

Keith headed to the gym to burn some of his nervous energy, feeling much better knowing that Shiro and Allura were safe. He'd work out, take Wolf for a romp, rinse off, eat, and then meet Lance to wait for Shiro and Allura to arrive back safe. 


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go wrong on the mission.

Time passed without incident. His workout was distracting, as was his run and game of fetch with Wolf. They went back to his quarters where he'd been staying since they'd come back to Earth, to shower and eat. It was right next to Shiro’s, which felt like a blessing and a curse.

He got to see his best friend every day. They went back to one or the other’s place almost every night to just...hang out. Keith loved spending time with Shiro, he always had. He was glad that they had mended and continued to work on their friendship. It meant more to him than anything. But his deep longing and love for Shiro went beyond friendship. It had for a long time. And with everything that had happened, all of the things he had seen in Shiro’s eyes, he had thought…

Keith hadn’t said anything. Wasn’t going to. Either Shiro didn’t feel the same but wished to maintain their friendships or...well...it felt too good to hope for that. So he kept silent and counted his blessings. It was better to have Shiro alive and whole and as his best friend then to have nothing of him at all. 

After a quick shower and meal, for himself and Wolf, he headed back to the Garrison command center to meet Lance. 

"Yo yo," Lance said, meeting Keith in the hall. Keith gave him a two finger wave and Wolf trotted over to greet him, giving him some delicate sniffs. Lance gave him some gentle head scratches. 

Keith scanned them into the room, greeting Hunk and Pidge, asking for any updates. 

"It's been really quiet," Pidge said, "Shiro checked in and said things were going well. The outpost is small and there are only ten people there. They have enough supplies to last them a week, so they should be set by the time Garrison cruisers get there to escort them back here."

They all hung around and chatted for a bit before the Yellow and Green Paladins were off, leaving Keith and Lance to man the comms for Shiro and Allura's return trip. 

Keith rather enjoyed spending time with Lance. While he had had a hard time with him in the beginning, Lance had grown on him, and Keith was proud to call him friend and brother. They idly chatted about Lance and Allura’s budding relationship, and Keith appreciated Lance’s vulnerability, willing to let down his showman facade and express some insecurities, and Keith was surprised that he felt comfortable in doing the same. 

He’d divulged before about his feelings for Shiro and Lance had been nonplussed at hearing it, telling him it had seemed pretty obvious. He tried aggressively...and then gently...to get Keith to talk to Shiro about it, but Keith didn’t feel ready yet. Wasn’t sure if it would be worth the risk. He was grateful that Lance didn’t push. 

The comms were pretty quiet and they resorted to tossing a ball back and forth, teasing Wolf, who was in the middle, trying to catch it. 

“Lance? Keith?” came Allura’s voice over the comm. 

Keith tossed the ball to Wolf, who, now having gotten his prize, transported away, as Lance swiveled his chair around to answer the incoming call and respond. 

“Here, Allura. You both coming back?” 

“Yes! It’s been a successful trip. We’ll be heading back in a few tics, just going to make sure we’re all settled.” 

“Roger, roger. Let me know when you’re ready to rock n’ roll.” 

Allura giggled, which had Lance beaming, and Keith shook his head, chuckling. 

“Will do,” she replied warmly. 

Lance stuck his tongue out playfully as he spun back around in his chair and Keith snickered, shaking his head. 

About five minutes later, Allura let them know they were on their way, and Lance leaned over the control board, making sure that they had the coordinates back to Earth and the Garrison. All seemed to be going smoothly for the first few minutes, before alarms started blaring. 

“What the…?” Keith hissed, leaning over the console, bringing up a screen that showed scans of what was happening with the Blue Lion. He wasn’t one hundred percent sure what the readings meant, but they DID NOT look good. 

“Allura! Shiro! What’s going on?!” Lance called through the comm. 

Allura’s voice came through a moment later, sounding stressed, with beeping going on in the background. 

“The wormhole. It’s unstable! I don’t know what happened! We were doing just fine and then something...went wrong!”

Lance and Keith looked at each other, before turning back to the task at hand, focusing in on getting Shiro and Allura home safely, rather than worrying about them getting lost in space. 

“Allura, stay calm,” Keith said, stepping into his role as leader, “tell me what’s going on.” 

He heard Allura breathing through the comm, calming herself. 

“We were making headway through the wormhole and it seems to have been destabilized. I’m not sure why, it may be because of the distance. I’m trying to get us back...but…” she stopped, the comm going quiet. 

“Allura?” Keith pressed. 

“Quiznack,” she hissed. 

“What’s going on?” Lance asked. 

“We’ve...we’ve stabilized...we’re nearly there...but Shiro…”

Keith’s stomach dropped, his heart in his throat, and it took everything in him to smoother it down, and keep himself focused. 

“What happened to Shiro?” he asked, voice neutral. 

“He’s...um...well…”

In the pause, there was what sounded like a child making inquisitive noises, and then...the definitive sound of a baby crying. 

“What the hell is that?” Lance and Keith said at the same time. 

“Um...uh...it seems that the wormhole...de-aged Shiro…” she replied, “I don’t know why...it could be because he’s been exposed to so much quintessence and is more susceptible to warps in space-time...this isn’t the first time this has happened…”

Keith and Lance looked at one another, perplexed. 

“But...you’re both alright?” Lance asked as Allura made gentle shushing noises, trying to calm the baby...Shiro. 

“Yes, yes. We’re fine. I won’t have any answers until we get back, but we should be there soon. It’s alright, Shiro. You’re okay. Everything is fine...we’re just fine…”

They looked at one another, perplexed, and then went back to work, guiding Allura back to Earth. Lance called in back up and soon the command bay was full.

They gave the rundown of what they knew from Allura, and Coran twirled his mustache thoughtfully. 

"I'm vaguely familiar with something like this...I'll have to consult some of our archives...but there's certainly a solution. We'll have to see what we got when they get back though. It could be temporary...or... permanent."

"It can't be permanent," Sam said, distressed, "Shiro's our top officer, the only one who can pilot the Atlas...not to mention his experiences and access…”

The Paladins all looked at one another, getting more and more concerned and confused. If Keith was honest with himself, which he was trying not to be, he was terrified. This was the kind of crazy-ass space magic bullshit he  _ hated _ . But he knew that they would have to deal with it and he would scour all of the universe to find a solution if necessary.

"They're back, everyone," said Pidge, looking out at the hangar, and seeing the Blue Lion come in for a wobbly landing. 

There was a gangway that everyone used to get from their ships to the command center and within a few minutes, Allura came through the doors, the metal hissing as the automatic door opened. 

She was still dressed in her full armor and wrapped up in the now oversized flight suit, some of it dangling from Allura’s arms, was a baby. Said baby seemed very upset, making soft sounds of distress. 

“Oh man,” said Hunk, “this isn’t good…” 

Allura looked just as upset as the baby, unsure what to do. 

“We have to figure out how to change him back,” Pidge said and everyone nodded in agreement. At that moment, the baby, Shiro, started crying again. 

“Oh. Oh no. Don’t cry, Shiro. It’s going to be okay, I promise,” Allura said, doing her best to soothe, but Shiro just started crying harder. 

“Here,” Keith said, coming closer, “let me take him.” 

Allura looked at him through her helmet, tears in her eyes, obviously stressed and upset herself. She nodded and gently handed over the sobbing baby to Keith. 

“Could someone find a blanket or something?” he said, making sure he had a hand under Shiro, resting his other hand against the back of his head. It was almost...unbelievable, like a dream. He had handled babies before at the home, helping to try and comfort the younger ones in their fear and stress. He knew what it was like. 

“You’re okay, bud. I got you,” he said, gently rocking back and forth on his feet, looking at the tiny, round, unhappy face. 

It...was definitely Shiro. Just...so small and innocent. No scar across his nose, his hair baby soft and jet black. His ears were the same, too big and adorable. He seemed to calm a little at the sound of Keith’s voice, blinking up at him with huge, gray eyes. 

“There we go. See? You’re alright.” 

Shiro blinked slowly, fixated on Keith’s face. The room went quiet, but Keith didn’t even notice. He didn’t consider himself a paternal kind of person. He wasn’t very openly affectionate, was not the first person that people came to for comfort, though he was getting better at it. But things had always been different with Shiro...and perhaps it didn’t matter what age he was. Keith always wanted to protect him and keep him safe. 

Shiro made a soft noise, blinking slowly, his eyes never leaving Keith’s. 

“I know this is really scary and you don’t know what’s going on. But you’ll be okay. I got you.” 

He looked up when Lance stepped into his field of vision, holding a blanket. 

“This was all I could find…” he said and Keith nodded. 

“Thanks, Lance. Help me wrap him up?”

Lance nodded, helping Keith swaddle Shiro in the blanket so that he was more comfortable, and taking the flight suit out of his hands. 

“We should...probably do some tests and see if we can find out what’s happened,” Coran said and Keith nodded, gently wiping down Shiro’s face. 

“Yeah, that’ll be good,” he replied, looking up, and taking in the room. 

Everyone was quiet and nearly stock still, watching. 

“What…?” he asked, prickling at the looks. 

“You’re just...really good with him,” Hunk said softly. 

Keith shrugged a little, looking down at Shiro, who yawned, big eyes starting to droop closed. 

“I used to help the younger kids,” he said, “at the home. Besides...I know I’d want to feel safe if something like this happened to me…” 

Everyone’s expressions were sympathetic and Lance nodded in agreement. 

“Let’s see what we can find out...and then perhaps it would be good to hunker down for a bit while we figure out what to do,” Sam suggested, resting a gentle hand on Keith’s shoulder, “the sooner we can make some changes, the better.” 


	3. Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith takes on the responsibility of caring for Shiro and Lance assists

Down at the lab, Coran and Sam ran some general scans on Shiro after hunting down some baby clothes and diapers, which took a good half hour. Shiro was asleep for most of it, which helped, but Keith stayed, and helped calm him when he woke up. 

He’d never been in a position of having to  _ care _ for a baby before, at least, not for more than a few minutes, but he figured he could make it work. It was Shiro and he’d never let him down. He’d do whatever he needed to, even if that meant going to Lance and asking for advice. 

Coran and Sam noted that they'd gotten as much information as they could and if Keith could be on standby. They'd call when they had any helpful information. 

So Keith gathered up a sleepy Shiro and took him back to his quarters. It wasn't set up for any sort of childcare. Clothes everywhere, bits and bobs all over, messy, unmade bed, dishes piled high in the sink.

He didn't know where to put Shiro down and cradled him close. He seemed content though, sucking on his thumb, looking around with wide, gray eyes, blinking slowly. 

Keith eventually folded and called Lance for backup. He showed up fifteen minutes later with a child's wagon, filled with all sorts of supplies. Keith eagerly let him in, glancing up and down the hallway, making sure no one was around. 

"My sister had a bunch of stuff she didn't need any more, so I nicked it. We've got some onesies, blankets, toys, bottles. I think she might have something we could make into a crib…" Lance sighed and looked up. 

"Gotta say...this is weird as heck... but...Shiro is a really cute baby."

"Lance!" Keith hissed.

"What?! It's true! I've seen a lot of babies and he's a cute one!"

If Keith had free hands, he would have slapped his hand to his face. 

Lance laughed, shaking his head. 

"You're really good with him," he noted as Keith gently brushed his hand over Shiro's hair as he rested his head on Keith's shoulder. 

Keith nodded a little, looking up for a moment, before rubbing Shiro's back gently. 

"It's easy…" he replied softly. 

Lance nodded in understanding and began unloading the wagon, not pushing, quietly empathetic. Which Keith appreciated. He didn’t comment on how messy Keith’s place was, but he did give him a look of disapproval, which just made Keith scowl. 

They managed to set up a cleared out part of Keith’s room as a little area for Shiro, folding out a blanket, laying out toys, and making a makeshift barricade of pillows. The two men stood by the small ‘play’ area, watching Shiro crawl around, inspecting toys. He latched on to a stuffed lion, starting to teeth on one of its ears, looking completely content and happy to do so.

“That’ll probably be good for now. I can see if there’s anything else I can jack from my sister. Do you need help with any food stuff? I brought some baby food...but I think Shiro might be, uh, old enough for just like, mushy regular foods, maybe cereal…” Lance said, looking at Keith. 

Keith rubbed the back of his neck, feeling stressed, and wondering what his life even was. 

“Okay. Uh...I might have some stuff? I guess we’ll try the baby food first…?”

Lance nodded. 

“I’ll see if Allura can help me pick up some more stuff for you and we can bring it over later. You gonna be okay?”

Keith nodded, biting his thumb nail, and glanced back at Shiro, who had rolled over onto his back and was wiggling around like an overturned bug. It was...kind of cute. Really cute. He sighed, looking back up at Lance. 

“Yeah. It’ll be okay. Thanks for your help. Just...text me and let me know when you and Allura are on your way.”

“Will do. Let me know if you need anything sooner.” 

“Thanks, Lance.”

“Anytime.”

Keith saw Lance out, quickly going back to his room, not wanting to leave Shiro out of his sight. He was still there, asleep, and Keith sighed, relieved. He heard the familiar pop of Wolf’s arrival, accompanied by the smell of ozone. He came padding happily into Keith’s room and stalled at the door. He dropped the ball in his mouth, sniffing the air. 

Wolf looked at Keith, questioning. It wasn’t that they could reach each other’s minds, more that they...could  _ understand _ each other. He was confused and concerned, ears flattening against his head. Something didn’t feel right. 

He padded over to where Shiro was sleeping, sniffing at him gently, before reeling back a little, looking at Keith. Alarmed. 

“He’s okay...just...different,” Keith explained. 

Wolf’s ears flickered and Keith shrugged. 

"I don't know, man. We just gotta roll with it I guess."

Wolf looked unconvinced, but Keith didn't know what else he could do or say. He felt woefully inept, but Shiro was very literally defenseless and didn't seem comfortable with anyone else in the way he was with Keith. 

He hoped this wouldn't be for more than a few days...prayed it wasn't permanent...and then sat for a few moments on the edge of his bed, trying to think of how he could watch Shiro and cook food at the same time. 

Eventually Shiro woke up and Keith figured he'd try the baby food first and then go from there. 


	4. Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's some worry about whether or not Shiro can go back to normal, but Keith will do whatever he must to make sure he's safe

Shiro as a baby wasn't really that different from Shiro as an adult, at least, temperament wise. He seemed pretty chill, happy to eat whatever Keith spooned into his mouth, looking around with wide eyes. 

It caught Keith off-guard a little, how he suddenly found himself really leaning into his role as...caregiver? Making Shiro giggle and clap his little hands, seeing his big, mostly toothless smile. The way he enjoyed the reward of that laugh and getting him to eat… he hadn't expected that, but, he couldn't really be surprised. 

He loved Shiro. 

Keith got him all cleaned up after dinner, putting him in an adorable bunny onesie, and tried to put him down for bed. But he was surprisingly fussy, so Keith ended up just holding him, marveling at the way he settled down so quickly in his arms. 

He watched his round little face, eyelids drooping over his eyes, pacifier in his mouth. He had a tiny hand wrapped around Keith's finger. 

"I'm here, Shiro. You're okay. Sleep," he soothed. Shiro wouldn’t take his eyes off of him, as if seeing him there allowed him to be certain he wasn’t going anywhere...and eventually he drifted off, hand going lax. 

Keith completely missed the knocking at his door at first, spell-bound as he settled Shiro into a little nest of blankets he'd made in his own bed, for lack of a bassinet. He looked so peaceful and small. He couldn’t look away. His heart hurt, filled with the yearning to protect him. 

Shiro had been like this once. Loved and cherished and innocent. Keith wanted him to know, to  _ feel _ , that he was safe with him. Always. Especially now. His ‘pad vibrating in his pocket eventually caught his attention. 

Allura. 

“Hi, Princess…”

“Keith. Are you alright? Lance and I have been at the door for a little while…”

Keith scrubbed a hand through his hair and went to the console on his bedroom wall, buzzing them in. 

“Sorry. Come on in.” 

He disconnected the call and leaned out of the bedroom to see Allura with her hands full of a large wrapped parcel and Lance closing the door. 

“We brought some more toys and clothes and other necessities,” she said, “how is he? How are you?”

"Thanks," he replied, "he's okay. I'm fine. It's just...a weird situation."

Allura nodded in agreement, setting down the parcel of goods. Her and Lance started unpacking it, and Keith joined in to help. 

"It is a strange situation. I know Coran is working on cross-referencing the data collected with our archives. There has to be a solution."

"What if there isn't?" Lance asked. 

They all went silent. Keith's stomach plummeted. He didn't really want to think about what they would do if Shiro was stuck at this age. It wasn't really the idea of having to raise his best friend that bothered him, he would happily do whatever he needed to for Shiro, but the implications were far reaching. And troubling. 

"There is," Allura said firmly, "there always is."

They spent the rest of their time together packing away the extra supplies, and then marveling over Shiro as he slept. 

"He's really quite adorable," Allura said, her voice soft. 

Keith silently agreed. 

It was nice to know that he had support, though it didn't surprise him. Lance and Allura stayed for a few hours, giving him time to shower without leaving Shiro unsupervised, and promising to be available if Keith needed anything.

"I guess it's just you and me," he said to Wolf once Lance and Allura had departed, rubbing his face, and scratching his ears. 

Keith was hesitant to leave Shiro, but he was pretty hungry. He eventually left Wolf with him to quickly pop a TV dinner into his microwave, running back from the kitchen to his room until the food was done. He ended up eating his food in his desk chair, watching Shiro sleep. 

He tossed the plastic into his already precariously perched garbage in the corner of his room, and left the dirty fork on his desk. He would deal with it later. He ended up changing into pajamas early, and crawled into bed carefully, so as not to disturb Shiro. He didn't know if he was old enough to have a regular sleep cycle or if he'd be waking up crying at weird hours. Keith hoped it was the latter. 

Normally, he and Shiro would be playing video games or watching movies about now, so Keith synced up his earbuds, placing one in his ear, and watched a movie on his ‘pad. Wolf settled down on the floor at the foot of the bed. 

Keith’s attention was divided between the movie and checking on Shiro, who was still sleeping soundly next to him. He was...so small. He lay on his back, arms and legs akimbo, his mouth open as he slept, his tiny chest rising and falling. 

Keith had never really felt any sort of paternal instinct before, but, he wondered if this was what it felt like. Shiro needed protection, safety, care. He gently tugged up the little blanket, tucking Shiro in a little tighter, before placing down his ‘pad and taking out his earbuds.

He always felt that way about Shiro...but this was different. 

He reached out carefully, gently rubbing his index and thumb against the back and palm of Shiro's little hand. As if by reflex, tiny fingers curled around his finger, holding on tight. 

Keith smiled softly. 

"I'll keep you safe," he murmured, and slowly drifted off to sleep himself. 


	5. Part 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Shiro goes on an adventure and Keith loses five years of his life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are many expletives in this chapter, which gives it the M rating

Keith woke up the next morning to the sound of soft baby noises and small hands on his face. 

He made a soft noise, trying to peel his sleepy eyes open, to see a baby face come into focus. 

"Ah?" Shiro asked him, at least...the noise sounded like a question. 

"Shiro?" he murmured and the baby giggled, his little head settling on Keith's chest. He made a soft cooing noise that made Keith's heart stop. He rested a hand on his back, rubbing gently. 

"Hi, bud. Good morning…"

He heard Shiro sigh, his small body a comforting weight against Keith's chest. They both lay there, Keith closing his eyes again, gently rubbing Shiro's back, feeling him breathe. 

After a few minutes of blissful relaxation, Keith felt Shiro lift his head, making more soft noises. He opened his eyes, watching Shiro, who wiggled, and made an insistent noise at him.

"Hungry?" he asked and Shiro just made a soft noise back, as if he was trying to blow a raspberry. 

"I'm gonna take that as a yes," Keith replied, smiling fondly. He gathered Shiro close and sat up, swinging his legs off the side of the bed, and standing. 

"Let's get you fed."

Normally, he just made coffee and a shake, but this was a bit more involved. He made sure Shiro got some mashed up fruit and some soft scrambled eggs, as well as some fruit juice in a sippy cup, courtesy of Lance's sister, and then made himself some toast, eggs, and coffee, in between helping Shiro eat. 

He wasn't as messy as he had been yesterday and Keith gently cleaned his face, smiling warmly as Shiro giggled. 

"You're so good," he hummed, "what a good baby you are. Your parents were so lucky."

Shiro gurgled at him, bouncing in his seat, and Keith picked him up. He kissed the side of his head softly and Shiro rested his head against Keith's shoulder. He enjoyed the softness of the moment, of knowing that he was trusted, and that Shiro felt so at ease with him. 

"Let's get you a bath and changed," he said softly. 

Bath time was rather hilarious. Bubbles everywhere, lots of splashing so that Keith was soaked, too. But it was fun. More so than he would have thought. 

He changed Shiro into a simple pink onesie and played some paddy-cake with him before he started getting a little fussy again. Keith gathered him up, hushing him gently, rocking back and forth from foot to foot, and hummed a soft tune. This apparently did just the trick, as Shiro settled down, eyes getting droopy. 

He was impossibly sweet. Small and warm in Keith’s arms, obviously finding comfort in being here with him. 

“Sweet boy,” he murmured as Shiro cooed, eyes dipping closed, “I’ll always protect you. No matter what.” 

He settled Shiro down gently into the nest he'd made for him, covering him up carefully with the same blanket from last night, and stroked back his soft, silky hair.

It was so easy to get lost in watching Shiro sleep that Keith very nearly missed the call from Sam Holt about the updates he had from the work he and Coran had been doing. He got up from the bed, answering the call away from Shiro, so he wouldn’t be disturbed. 

According to Sam, Allura would have to activate another wormhole with Shiro, roughly the same distance as before, the catch being that the wormhole needed to be purposefully destabilized, and then wormhole back, but stabilized. They were currently working on a way to try and control the stabilization, but it would take a few more days. As far as they could tell, Shiro wouldn’t be stuck at this age if they waited. He would just...grow like a normal baby would. As long as they could make the wormholes work the way they needed to, he would be just fine, and back to being twenty-eight again. 

After the call, Keith came back quietly into the room...to find Shiro gone. 

His stomach plummeted, heart rate picking up. 

“Shiro?” he called softly, making his way into the room, scanning for any sign of the light pink onesie and dark, tufted hair. 

He went around his entire room, moving things out of the way to try and find Shiro, calling for him...nothing. 

“Oh fuck...oh shit…” he murmured, fumbling for his ‘pad as he left his room, looking around the rest of his apartment, trying to find Shiro, and getting increasingly escalated. 

_ What was he going to do? Where was he? He’d only stepped away for a moment. How was that enough time for Shiro to...to...escape? What if something happened to him? _

He was seized with panic, hands shaky on his ‘pad. 

“Keith?” 

“I can’t find Shiro!”

“What?”

“I can’t find him. One minute he was there and the next minute he wasn’t!”

“How do you lose a baby…?”

“LANCE! HELP!” He growled into the ‘pad. 

“Okay. Deep breaths. I’ll grab the paladins, we’ll strategize. Stay calm.” 

After hanging up with Lance, Keith tore apart the rest of the apartment, but there was no sign of Shiro. He did, however, see that the grate for an air duct in the apartment had been moved.

“FUCK!”

He had forgotten he’d moved the grate for Garrison maintenance and had forgotten about whether or not they’d put the grate back. It wouldn’t have mattered until a day ago. He fell to his knees in front of the duct, using the flashlight on his ‘pad to see into it. 

“Shiro!” he called...but no response. No cries or giggles. Anxious sweat was dripping down his back and he got to his feet, pacing the apartment. Wolf appeared, looking anxious. 

“Can you find him?” he asked, running into his room and grabbing the blanket he’d covered Shiro with, holding it out to Wolf. 

He sniffed it, looking at Keith, determined, and disappeared with a sizzle, pop, and the smell of ozone. 

The rest of the paladins arrived about two minutes later and they coordinated a search based on the air duct layout. 

Keith explained he had Wolf on it, too. 

“I didn’t think he would be so...adventurous,” Keith confessed as he and Allura looked for the opening to one of the branches of the air duct. 

“Well...it  _ is _ Shiro…and from what I understand...human babies can be quite curious...”

Keith looked at her, his expression saying,  _ not helping _ , and she smiled apologetically. 

“I only mean to say that Shiro has always been adventurous, so I’m not surprised he is now, even as an infant...but I have no doubt that he’ll be just fine, because he has you.” 

Keith flushed, but the words helped. Shiro did have him, and the rest of the team, looking out for him. They would find him and he would be okay. 

“He’s not here,” called in Hunk via video, Pidge squatting down beside one of the entrances to a duct, as if she’d just crawled out. 

“Not here either,” Lance noted as well. 

“Keith and I are coming up on our duct now, if he’s not in this one…”

“We move to the next one,” Keith finished. 

Just as he and Allura rounded the corner, Wolf appeared. He made a soft barking sound, turning around and leading the two of them down the hall. He stopped in front of the duct after the one they had originally been heading for and pawed at the grate. 

Allura leaned down, pulling out a drill to get out the screws. 

“Shiro?” Keith called in the pause of the soft noise of the drill. There was a pause and then an echoed  _ giggle _ . 

Keith felt himself deflate. 

“Oh my god,” he sighed, leaning against the wall, looking bewilderingly at Allura. She smiled beatifically at him. 

“See? He’s just fine,” she soothed. She finished getting the grate off and neatly placed it beside her on the floor. 

“Oh! Hello there,” she said, laughing, and moved slightly so Keith could peek in. 

Shiro, dressed in his pink onesie, covered in cobwebs, and seemingly having not a care in the world, was grinning a nearly toothless smile at them and giggling. He crawled over to them, reaching his hands out and falling into Keith’s waiting arms. 

Keith pulled him into his arms, holding him tight, regardless of the inquisitive sound Shiro made as Keith held him. 

“Oh...Keith...it’s alright…” Allura soothed, resting her hand on his back. 

He leaned away to look at Shiro’s round, innocent face, looking at him curiously. 

“Ahhh?” Shiro said, head tilted to the side, like a curious puppy.

Keith gently brushed cobwebs from his hair and face. 

“You scared me,” he murmured, pulling Shiro to him again. Shiro simply babbled, tiny hands patting Keith’s chest, his little head settled against his collarbone. Wolf came over, gently sniffing at Shiro, and gave him a little lick, which had Shiro giggling, and reaching out to gently pat his blue fur. 

“Good job, buddy,” Keith hummed, giving him some well deserved pets as well. Wolf huffed, pressing into Keith’s hand, indicating that it was no trouble at all. 

“Everyone knows that we found him,” Allura said gently, “we’ll rendezvous at your quarters.” 

Keith cradled Shiro close and Shiro seemed content to be cuddled, yawning, and snuggling against Keith. 

“Yeah, I’m sure you’re exhausted,” he murmured, “had me losing five years off my life...disappearing like that…”


	6. Part 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Shiro spend a little extra time together before they see if they can change Shiro back

Besides the air duct adventure, the following days with Shiro were...rather blissfully uneventful. 

Keith took him out at quiet times of the day to avoid anyone seeing them, as they were trying to keep the fact that Earth’s savior was currently eight months old. 

There was a park on the Garrison grounds. Keith would push him in a swing, play with him in the sand box, hold his hands as he tried walking. Shiro wasn’t a very noisy baby. He only really cried when he was tired, and even then, he calmed down fast. He was usually laughing and smiling. 

Keith talked to him a lot, narrating what he was doing, where they were going, what they were doing, or looking at. Shiro seemed to soak it all up. He’d become attached to the lion stuffed animal, taking it everywhere with him. 

Keith had more than just one moment of wondering if this was what his father had felt like, raising Keith alone. Not that his dad had been completely alone. There were the guys at the firehouse, their kids, and wives who had helped out when they could. And Keith had the paladins, who were all willing to lend a hand. 

He never really understood “it takes a village,” until now, but overall, he was kind of enjoying the experience of being a parent...sort of. It would be good to have Shiro back to his normal self, but for now, he certainly wasn’t complaining. 

He spoke with Coran and Sam, who said that they would probably have everything good to go by tomorrow. They explained the process and Keith took Shiro back to his apartment so they could have one last quiet night together. 

Keith cradled Shiro in his arms, leaning back against propped up pillows, his index finger gripped in Shiro’s little fist. He smiled at him, taking in all his round, delicate features. 

“You know...it seems like you’re always teaching me something about myself,” he murmured, “that I have more capacity within myself than I know that I have.” 

Big gray eyes watched him, little legs kicking lightly. 

“I guess...I learned that I am more giving and caring than I give myself credit for. I’ve been understanding that, I think, slowly...but...I don’t think I would have ever realized that I could be good at  _ this _ until now. So, thank you, Shiro. You’re a good teacher.” 

Shiro babbled softly back, giggling, and Keith couldn’t help but laugh, too. 

It was a quiet, relaxed night together. Shiro seemed content to be in Keith's arms, or laying on his chest. He fell asleep that way, tiny head tucked under Keith's chin. 


	7. Part 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura takes Shiro back into a wormhole and everyone hopes for the best

The next morning, Keith was woken up by Shiro’s soft noises and wiggling. They were going to try and change him back today, which Keith hoped worked, but if he was honest, he wanted to enjoy a little while longer with Shiro as a baby. 

He ended up snuggling with him for a while, which Shiro didn’t seem to mind, simply chewing on the collar of Keith’s shirt, drooling all over him. He was sweet and quiet, only making soft cooing noises here and there. 

Keith was a little nervous about this whole thing. Afraid that Shiro would be frightened or that things wouldn’t work. But he had to trust that things would turn out the way they needed to. They had so far. 

They got up, ready to greet the day, Keith making sure they were both fed, bathed, and changed. 

“Are you ready to be back to normal?” Keith asked as they headed down to the hangar to meet the rest of the team. 

Shiro just looked up at him with his big eyes, chewing on his lion toy, and Keith smiled, chuckling. 

“I bet you are.” 

Coran and Sam were bustling around, making sure that equipment was set up, that Allura was ready, and so was the Blue Lion. Shiro shrunk in against Keith, hiding, and whined softly. He soothed him, gently bouncing from foot to foot, stroking his hair. 

“Everything’s gonna be okay, bud. Promise.” 

“Alright. I think we’re ready to try this,” Sam said, turning to Keith and then Allura, “Allura, if you can take Shiro, and head to the Blue Lion, we can get started. 

Allura came forward, hands open for Shiro. Shiro clung to Keith, turning his head against his shoulder, and made a distressed noise. 

“Oh, Shiro,” she said softly, looking between Keith and the baby. Keith rubbed his back gently, nuzzling into his soft hair. 

“It’s okay, Shiro. Allura will keep you safe. She’s got you. Promise. And I’ll be right here when you get back.” 

Shiro whined and Keith hushed him gently, continuing to rub his back and gently rock from foot to foot. 

“You can be brave, sweet boy...I know you can. You taught me how to be brave. You’re the bravest person I know…”

With a little more soothing, Shiro finally went into Allura arms, looking over her shoulder at Keith. Keith reached out, gently tracing one adorably big ear, and softly booping his nose, giving him a reassuring smile. His gray eyes were shiny with tears, but he didn’t cry. Keith’s heart broke a little...but he knew everything would be alright. He didn’t take his eyes off of Shiro until he could no longer see him as he and Allura disappeared into the Blue Lion. 

“Alright, we’re all set,” Allura called in once the Blue Lion had broken through Earth’s atmosphere. 

The process was much the same as before. She opened a wormhole, utilizing the new tech that Coran and Sam had been working on, unstabilizing the wormhole. Everyone held their collective breaths as they waited. 

“Allura? Are you there?” Coran commed in. There were a few long, unbearable moments of silence, before Allura commed back. 

“We’re okay. And Shiro is…”

“Back to normal,” he said, though his voice was a little shaky. 

“We’re heading back now. Stand by.” 

The entire thing took less than fifteen minutes and everyone cheered as Allura landed the Blue Lion back in the hangar. They came down the gangway, Shiro dressed now in his flight suit, and holding a tiny blue onesie in his hand, and a lion stuffed animal. 

They came through the doors and after Coran scanned Shiro to make sure that, yes, he was back to the correct age, Shiro made a beeline for Keith. 

He wrapped him up in a tight hug, lifting him off the ground, much to Keith’s surprise. He wrapped his arms around him in turn, patting his back. 

“Hi,” he said as Shiro squeezed him. 

“Hey,” Shiro replied when he set Keith down. His cheeks were a little red, but he was smiling, his expression fond. 

“Thank you for taking care of me…”

“Oh...yeah...it was no problem. You’re welcome…”

“I still owe you that date. Tomorrow work okay?”

“Of course.” 

Shiro beamed. 

“Good. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

There would be a lot for them to talk about, after all this, but he’d take the date gladly.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading this silly little fic! 
> 
> I'm not very good with dialogue or in-depth explanation about space magic, but I hope you enjoy the sweetness that was intended with this lil fic <3
> 
> Inspired by @goldentruth813's and @goatluminati HCs about baby!Shiro <3
> 
> And much thanks to Ren for their read through and feedback! <3


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